1. Physio-Control 1955 – Present physio-control.com
•• LIFEPAK®
33 defibrillator/monitor is
designed, tested and manufactured
in three months. The first portable
(33 lbs) stand-alone defibrillator/
monitor became known as the
“90-day wonder.”
•• Edmark Central Flow heart valve
developed to duplicate the human
heart valve.
First Heartbeat Indicator,
Dr. Edmark’s first product and first
instrument used to detect exact
moment of a heart’s failure.
1955 1959
1960 1969
•• Physio-Control incorporated by
Dr. Karl William Edmark, Seattle
cardiovascular surgeon.
•• Prototype “breadboard” DC defibrillator
designed by Dr. Edmark. Previous
defibrillators operated on AC power.
•• First commercially marketed
external pacemaker.
•• ECG monitor oscilloscope
displays a visual trace of a
patient’s heartbeat.
•• Dr. Edmark performs first successful
DC defibrillation on a human heart.
•• The Edmark Pulse Defibrillator is
developed from original prototype
DC defibrillator.
Pressure Pulsometer, used to
measure blood pressure from a
finger or toe.
W. Hunter Simpson joins
Physio-Control as president.
Office moved from Seattle’s Brooklyn
Avenue to Second Street. 1965—1985
W. Hunter Simpson, President
February 14, 1955
Dr. Karl William Edmark, Founder
His vision; his partnership with
civic, medical and academic
leaders; and his eternal
optimism built a whole new
industry dedicated to saving
cardiac arrest victims.
The Seattle cardiovascular
surgeon invented the DC
defibrillator when he started
experimenting with electronic
means to halt death during
sudden cardiac arrest.
Physio-Control Timeline
1955 – Present
Physio-Control First
19591955
1960 1964 1966
1961
1965
1968

2. Physio-Control 1955 – Present physio-control.com
•• W. Hunter Simpson retires.
•• LIFEPAK®
100 automatic advisory
defibrillator, designed for home use
introduced. Physician prescribed
for use by spouses or companions
of patients at high risk for sudden
cardiac death.
•• CMS™ 8000 central monitor
displayed heart rate, blood pressure,
temperature, trending of up to three
parameters for eight patients.
•• VSM®
4 vital signs monitor displays
ECG, one invasive pressure,
respiration, pulse and two
temperatures. For intensive care
and critical care areas.
•• VSM®
5 vital signs monitor displays
ECG, two invasive pressures, and
two temperatures.
•• LIFESTAT®
1600 pulse oximeter,
for noninvasive measurement of
oxygen saturation.
•• PHYSIO-CONTROL®
capnometer for
measuring carbon dioxide in exhaled
air or a patient during surgery.
•• LIFEPAK®
3 defibrillator/monitor is
first portable defibrillator/monitor to
offer waveforms and cardioscope
“freeze” capability.
•• LIFEPAK®
1 defibrillator/monitor
without a cardioscope.
•• PDS 100 peritoneal dialysis system,
our venture into kidney dialysis, for
cleansing the blood of patients with
non-functioning kidneys.
LIFEPAK®
2 defibrillator/monitor for use
in the nation’s new emergency vehicle
program. First portable defibrillator
to allow ECG signal transmission by
telephone and first defibrillator with
synchronized cardioversion.
1970
1980
1979
1989
First profitable year.
LIFEPAK®
911 defibrillator/monitor,
first 12-lead and stress test monitor.
•• Physio-Control becomes a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly
and Company.
•• CMS™ 6000 central monitor
displays ECG and heart rate.
•• VSM®
1 vital signs monitor monitors
ECG, pulse, temperature and two
blood pressures.
•• Physio-Control celebrates 25 years
in business.
•• LIFEPAK®
7 defibrillator/monitor for
hospital emergency cart use.
•• Dedication of new 200,000 square
foot North Building on Redmond
campus.
Discontinuation of Dialysis Product/
Images Division and withdrawal from
kidney dialysis market.
•• LIFEPAK®
8 defibrillator/monitor
with external transchest pacemaker
for temporary pacing.
•• First domestic defibrillator/monitor
with integral pacemaker.
•• LIFEPAK®
200 automatic advisory
defibrillator for prehospital use
incorporated a Shock Advisory
System™ to analyze the patient’s
ECG and determine whether or not
a shock was appropriate.
•• VSM®
3 vital signs monitor,
measures ECG and heart rate.
•• LIFESTAT®
100 portable noninvasive
blood pressure monitor for use in
the prehospital environment.
•• LIFESTAT®
200 portable
noninvasive monitor provides blood
pressure trending over time and
heart rate.
•• VSM®
2 vital signs monitor offers
noninvasive blood pressure, ECG,
heart rate and temperature.
•• LIFEPAK®
9 defibrillator/monitor
with CODE SUMMARY™ critical
event record.
•• LIFEPAK®
10 defibrillator/
monitor/pacemaker, first portable
defibrillator/monitor with integral
external pacemaker.
•• LIFEPAK®
250 automatic advisory
defibrillator is introduced. Connects
to industry-standard LIFEPAK 5
monitor.
•• Shock Advisory Adapter for the
LIFEPAK®
9 defibrillator/monitor is
introduced, allowing, for the first
time, a hospital unit to be used as
an AED by BLS personnel.
•• LIFEPAK®
4 defibrillator/monitor is
first portable defibrillator/monitor to
offer an integral ECG strip recorder.
•• Headquarters moved from Second
Avenue in Seattle to new 100,000
square-foot facility in rural Redmond.
•• PHYSIO 260 home defibrillator,
powered by ten flashlight batteries.
•• PHYSIO 1440 complete
cardiac care system. Contained
a defibrillator, ECG monitor
and recorder.
•• PDS 200 peritoneal dialysis
treatment for kidney patients
gained acceptance.
•• Formation of direct sales team
through acquisition of the
Medtronic sales division,
previously the primary distributor
for Physio-Control products.
•• DOPLETTE®
10 miniaturized
Doppler probe allowed noninvasive
detection of pulse and blood flow
irregularities.
•• LIFEPAK®
5 defibrillator/monitor
designed for paramedic use
weighs only 19 pounds. Became
the standard for prehospital
use worldwide.
•• Physio-Control begins work on VF
detector using analog circuitry.
•• LIFEPAK®
6 defibrillator/monitor
increased flexibility in hospital acute
cardiac care applications through the
addition of diagnostic 12-lead ECG.
•• PDS 400 simplified microprocessor-
based peritoneal dialysis machine.
Using LIFEPAK®
5 defibrillator/monitor,
Physio-Control collects prehospital
ECG data for development and
testing of AED algorithms.
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1978
1979
1970
1980 1983 1986 1989
1981
1985
1982

3. Physio-Control 1955 – Present physio-control.com
LIFEPAK®
11 defibrillator/monitor/
pacemaker, first field 12-lead monitor
with diagnostic 3-channel recording
and 100mm recorder paper.
•• LIFEPAK®
20e defibrillator/monitor
introduced. Enhanced hospital
monitor offers more powerful
Lithium-ion battery that doubles
ECG monitoring time and allows
easy transport in the hospital.
•• LIFENET®
System for STEMI
management introduced. First
web-based system speeds time
to treatment, improving care for
heart attack sufferers.
•• LIFEPAK®
1000 defibrillator is
deployed on the International Space
Station as the first AED in space.
LUCAS®
1 chest compression system
is introduced to U.S. market. Built
by Jolife in Sweden and distributed
worldwide by Physio-Control.
LIFEPAK®
500 automated external
defibrillator introduced and sets
new standard for ease of use,
maintenance and affordability. Digital
voice/ECG storage, auto-testing, and
5-year, maintenance-free battery.
•• LIFEPAK®
9P defibrillator/monitor/
pacemaker with Shock Advisory
Adapter converts product to
hospital AED.
•• LIFEPAK®
300 automatic advisory
defibrillator introduced. First
programmable AED targeting
BLS responders and featuring
CODE SUMMARY critical event
record, integral printer and ECG
electrode compatibility.
1990
2000
1999
2009
•• LIFEPAK CR®
Plus defibrillator
introduced. Easy to use AED for
public access and first responders.
•• LIFEPAK®
20 defibrillator/monitor
introduced. Compact, lightweight
and designed for both BLS and
ALS use in the hospital.
•• LIFEPAK®
15 monitor/defibrillator
introduced as the new standard in
emergency care. Includes first to
market integrated carbon monoxide
monitoring, new CPR Metronome,
improved operating platform and
LIFEPAK TOUGH™ exterior.
•• LUCAS®
2 chest compression
system introduced. All-new
battery powered version designed
to provide effective, consistent and
uninterrupted compressions.
Bluetooth®
technology utilized
for wireless communication from
defibrillator/monitors.
Physio-Control celebrates
50-year anniversary.
LIFEPAK®
1000 defibrillator introduced.
Rugged defibrillator, simple to use at
cardiac arrest scene with large LCD
screen display and graphics for first
responders or professionals.
QUIK-VIEW™ 500 data review
program introduced. Plays back
LIFEPAK®
500 digital voice and ECG
files on standard PC for complete
quality assurance.
•• FIRST MEDIC™ semi-automatic
defibrillator line bought from
Spacelabs Healthcare, Inc.
•• CODE-STAT™ data management
system introduced. Provides
comprehensive reporting, including
tracking for system and patient data.
LIFEPAK®
12 defibrillator/monitor
series introduced. Device provides
AED and manual defibrillation
capability as well as optional SpO2,
noninvasive pacing and 12-lead
ECG functions.
•• Physio-Control is acquired by
Medtronic, Inc.
•• LIFENET®
System is the first
data management solution that
merges information across a tiered
response system. Introduced with
LIFENET®
RS Receiving Station.
•• Biphasic technology introduced
in both LIFEPAK®
500 and
LIFEPAK®
12 devices creating
the first full line of biphasic
external defibrillators.
1991 1994 1997 1998
1995
1996
1999
2006 20092008
2007
2005
2004
2002

4. Physio-Control 1955 – Present physio-control.com
•• ReadyLink™ 12-Lead ECG is
introduced. Handheld, portable,
and easy-to-use, the revolutionary
ReadyLink 12-Lead ECG quickly
and easily captures and transmits
12-lead data to hospitals through
the LIFENET®
System. Doctors can
provide chest pain decision support,
so teams in the field know exactly
what kind of care the patient needs
and where to take them.
•• An enhanced version of the
LIFEPAK®
15 Monitor/Defibrillator
is introduced adding continuous
temperature monitoring and external
AC power capability.
•• Physio-Control partners with
Benechill to market the RhinoChill®
IntraNasal Cooling System in Europe.
RhinoChill is first to allow emergency
responders to initiate brain cooling
early, even before the return of
spontaneous circulation.
Physio-Control is acquired by
Bain Capital.
2010 Present
•• LIFENET®
System 4.1 introduced
with first to market feature allowing
integration of data from multiple
vendors’ 12-lead management
systems.
•• LIFENET®
System 5.0 is introduced
providing EMS and hospital care
teams with reliable, quick access to
clinical information through a secure,
web-based platform, helping to
improve patient care flow and
operational efficiency.
•• CODE-STAT 9.0 data review
software is a retrospective
analysis tool that provides easy
access to data, reports and post-
event review.
2010 2011 2012